Domestic medicine has always been famous not just for good specialists, but for the true geniuses of this science. Among the huge number of talents, it is worth highlighting a man named Bernstein Nikolai Alexandrovich, whose biography will be examined in detail in the article.
brief information
So who is this scientist? Bernstein Nikolay Alexandrovich during his life was an outstanding psychophysiologist who managed to create a whole concept in this direction. He owns works on the creation of advanced methods for recording the natural movements of people both in normal condition and in pathology. Based on the research and development of the scientist, doctors rehabilitated the military and civilians injured during the Great Patriotic War. Over time, developments have moved into the sports field.
Birth and relatives
Bernstein Nikolay Alexandrovich is a hereditary scientist. He was born in Moscow on November 5, 1896. His grandfather - Natan Osipovich - was a well-known physiologist, who after graduating from the university received the title of privat-docent, and a little later became a professor at all.
The father of the hero of our article is Alexander Natanovich. He gained fame for his work in the field of psychiatry and psychology. The man directly connected both of these sciences directly with physiology. By an unfortunate coincidence, Alexander was the founder of a psychiatric clinic in Moscow, which during the reign of the Soviet regime turned into a Serbsky Institute - a real casemate where punitive psychiatry procedures were carried out on people who disagreed with the actions of the then authorities.
Nikolai Alexandrovich's uncle, Sergei Natanovich, was noted in mathematics as a professor and academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
Mom - Alexandra Karlovna - a truly outstanding person and strong. She began an independent life early: she worked as a weaver, nurse, operating sister and mercy sister in the clinic, where she met her fate in the person of Alexander Natanovich.
Education
Bernstein, Nikolai Alexandrovich gnawed at the granite of science at the metropolitan university. Initially, he became a student of the Faculty of History and Philosophy, but later transferred to the Faculty of Medicine. This happened before the outbreak of World War I. In connection with the hostilities in the center of Europe, he studied on an accelerated program and, having studied for four years, was at the forefront, where doctors were worth its weight in gold.
Beginning of a medic career
In 1919, a former student came under mobilization in the ranks of the Red Army as a full-fledged doctor. Demobilized in 1920, he went to work as a psychiatrist at the Gilyarovsky Clinic. He did not stay in this medical institution for long and went to work at the Central Institute of Labor, where he was entrusted with heading a laboratory studying human biomechanics. As the main objective of the institution was a detailed study of all human movements associated with his labor detail to increase labor efficiency. It is worth noting that until that moment any serious problems with motor activity were solved very simply and dramatically - they turned off extra degrees of freedom. That is why Bernstein N.A. (biography, photos are studied today by many) made a proposal that it is necessary to carefully monitor the extremely unpredictable situation on the periphery, in order to anticipate pathological changes and use “advanced corrections” for this. That is, the physician suggested not treating the movement as an exclusively mechanical process.
Disputes
Theories put forward by the scientist were at odds with the opinion of the head of the Institute of Labor, Gastev, who, in turn, intended to construct the movement of man by analogy with machines and mechanisms. Largely because of disagreements in 1925, Bernstein Nikolay Alexandrovich moved to the Institute of Psychology, where the difficulties of the living movement were interesting to specialists. And already in 1926, the physician wrote his work under the title “General Biomechanics”.
The most ardent opponent of a talented scientist was Academician Pavlov. Their debate went on over a long period of time. As an objection and argument of his position, Bernstein wrote the work “History of the doctrine of the nerve impulse”. In 1936, within the walls of the All-Union Institute of Experimental Medicine, an intramural debate was planned between these two prominent scientists. However, this discussion was never destined to happen, since Pavlov died. Upon learning of this, Nikolai Alexandrovich did not publish a book.
Professional views
Bernstein N.A., whose biography causes genuine interest in modern youth, has always paid considerable attention to clinical medicine. The scientist was an excellent neuropathologist, he helped restore motor activity to people with diseases of the nervous system and injuries. All these studies together made it possible over time to propose and put into practice such treatment methods that reanimated impaired functions in wounded soldiers during the war.
In 1947, the monograph of Nikolai Alexandrovich saw the light, which he called "On the construction of movements." In this scientific work, considerable attention was paid to building a structure of a neurological and neurophysiological nature in actions and skills. According to the doctor, the construction of movements is performed by all levels of the brain.
So, for example, the lowest level A is pure physiology. The highest level of subcortex B is in charge of complex movements - running, walking, swimming and others.
Level C is interesting for both physiologists and psychologists. Movements at this level have a clearly defined target character. Level D carries the semantic side of the actions taken. And finally, the highest level E allows you to form the most complex skills, including working in outer space, piloting airplanes and others.
Problems
During the joint session of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1950, all of Bernstein’s works were severely criticized for the so-called “anti-Paul concept.” The scientist himself was dismissed from institutes and until the end of his life he never again had the opportunity to work in laboratory conditions.
Nevertheless, the talented doctor and innovator did not lose heart and continued to work and develop his ideas. With the help of friends, he got to work in an abstract journal. The full rehabilitation of Nikolai Alexandrovich occurred in the era of the Khrushchev thaw. It was at that time that his work became in demand among physiologists, cybernetics, and psychologists. At the dawn of the 60s, Bernstein Nikolai Aleksandrovich, whose books gained popularity, had close contacts with specialists in physics and mathematics, and lectured at seminars organized by young talents.
End of life
In the mid-60s, the scientist was given a fatal diagnosis - liver cancer. The hereditary doctor realized that he did not have long to live, and completely immersed himself in studying the problems of the physiology of human activity, as well as various aspects of the biological orientation in cybernetics. Death overtook the great thinker and innovator in 1966.
Interesting Facts
Bernstein, whose biography and personal life was not always covered in print, after being in disgrace, began to lead a reclusive lifestyle. As his adoptive daughter Tatyana Ivanovna recalls, one day Korney Chukovsky personally came to their house to testify his respect to the scientist on behalf of the entire Leningrad intelligentsia. Also, the doctor, on the recommendation to repent of his "sins" before the scientific community, would certainly answer: "Better I die!"